David duncan



(No Model.)

D. D. ESSON. FLUID PRESSURE GENERATOR.

No. 580,613. Patented Apr. 13, 1897.

w a H @N E K M (i zllflll a -Iii E NTT D STATES I PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID DUNCAN ESSON, OF FAVERSIIAM, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE ESSON MOTOR,LIMITED, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

FLUID-PRESSURE GENERATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 580,613, dated April13, 1897.

Application filed November 7, 1896. Serial No. 611.373. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DAVID DUNCAN EssoN, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritain, residing at Faversham, in the county of Kent, England, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in the Generation of Fluid-Pressureand Apparatus Therefor, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the generation of gaseousfluid pressure formotive-power purposes, and has for its object to provide a mode ofgeneration whereby a high pressure can be quickly obtained andgenerating apparatus which will occupy a relatively small space.

In carrying out my invention I make use of the gases produced by thecombustion of a material which possesses sufficient oxygen to burn in aclosed chamber and which generates large volumes of gas, and by theinjection of water-spray, which is converted into steam and whichserves, primarily, to prevent the overheating of the chamber in whichthe combustion takes place.

A form of apparatus which I have found in practice gives good resultscomprises a series or congeries of tubes for containing the combustiblecompound or fuel and a chamber into which all the said tubes open andwhich serves as a reservoir for the produced gases. The water-spray isintroduced into this chamber by any suitable means-for instance, by apump operated by the fluid-pressure generated-and in such quantitiesthat directly it comes into contact with the hot gases of combustion itis converted into steam, which, together with the said gases ofcombustion, is conducted through pipes to any desired point where thepressure is to be utilized. The several tubes of the series or congeriesare provided with means whereby their commu-' stood, I will describe thesame by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is alongitudinal section of apparatus suitable for use in carrying out myinvention. Figs. 2 and 3 are left and right hand end views,respectively, of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a view of adetail drawn to a larger scale than the other figures.

a a are the tubes of the congeries,whichtubes extend through and aresecurely fixed in the tube-plate Z). c is the chamber into which thesaid tubes open, the said chamber having one end formed by thetube-plate b and being at the other end contracted and fitted with ascrew-nipple d, through which extend two tubes ef, the former servingfor conveying water into the chamber 0 and the latter for the exit ofthe fluid-pressure from the chamber.

It will be noticed that the pipe e is coiled within the chamber a, sothat the water is heated before escaping from the spray rose or nozzleg. If desired, however, the water may be caused to flow around thecongeries of tubes in order to heat it prior to entering the chamber a,or it may be heated by passing it over any other heated part of theapparatus.

h h are the disks which are fitted against the ends of the tubes a or,within the chamber 0, and which are blown off by the pressure generatedwhen the combustible compound in the several tubes is ignited, the saiddisks being held in position by a ring or collar t', screwed onto theend of the tube and adapted to slightly engage with the disk around itsedge, so that under the pressure generated in the tube when thecombustible compound is ignited the disk will be blown out of position.

j indicates a disk of asbestos or other nonconducting material placedbehind the disk h and serving to prevent the heat which is withinchamber 0 from prematurely igniting the compound in a closed tube.

It is obvious that the combustible material used in my apparatus must beone which is capable of gradually burning without the.

liability of exploding, and any composition capable of fulfilling thiscondition may be used in my apparatus.

A composition which answers my purpose well is described and claimed inthe specification of my application of even date with this applicationand given Serial No. 611,372.

The compound referred to consists of nitroglycerin, dry guncotton,Vaseline, and camphor in about the following proportions: nitroglycerin,by weight, fifty-five parts; dry guncotton, by weight, thirty parts;Vaseline, by weight, ten parts; camphor, by weight, five parts. Thecamphor delays the combustion of the material, so that the production ofgases is not so sudden as to cause an explosion, and by Varying theproportion of camphor the combustion can be retarded or accelerated, ifdesired. In combining these ingredients I prefer to intimately mix thenitroglycerin, guncotton, and a portion of the camphor and to use theother portion of the Vaseline and the camphor as a coating for the mainpart of the compound. This composition is made up into sticks or rodsand a number of these sticks or rods are packed in each tube, the spacesaround and between the rods being filled up, say, for instance, withVaseline, which assists in delaying the combustion of the composition.In practice the said sticks or rods are made of varying lengths in orderthat the area of the surface of the combustible compound shall graduallydecrease as it burns back into the tube. The several tubes are connectedwith a battery or electric generator (not shown) by means of wires inis, (see Fig. 1,) sothat they can be ignited successively orsimultaneously or in any desired combination, according to the pressurere quired or the duration of time during which pressure is'to bemaintained.

The ignition of the composition takes place immediately behind thedisk,-so that the high pressure produced by the burning of this compoundserves for blowing off the disk.

When the composition in one or more of the tubes is ignited, the heatedgases due to the combustion rush out of the tube or tubes and meet thewater-spray injected into the chamber 0 through the nozzle g, thequantity of water injected being so regulated that the whole of it isconverted into steam. This mixture of steam and gases then flows throughthe pipe f to the apparatus wherein the pressure is to be utilized.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my saidinvention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare thatwhat I claim is 1. The process of generating fluid-pressure whichconsists in burning a mixture of nitroglycerin, guncotton, Vaseline andcamphor in an inclosed space, and injecting a spray of water into thegas formed by the combustion of said mixture, substantially asdescribed.

2. An apparatus for generating fluid-pres sure comprising an inclosingcasing, a series of feeding-tubes communicating at one end with saidcasing and closed at their outer ends, igniting devices for said tubesadjacent to their communication with said casing, and a water-sprayingdevice within said casing and a discharge-passage for said casing,substantially as described.

3. An apparatus for generating fluid-pressure comprising an inclosingcasing, a series of feeding-tubes communicating at one end with saidcasing and closed at their other ends, removable disks for closing thecom munication between said tubes and said casing, detachable securingdevices for holding said disks in position, a water-spraying device insaid casing, igniting devices for said tubes and a discharge-passage forsaid casing, substantially as described. I

4:. An apparatus for generating fluid-pressure comprising an inclosingcasing, a series of feeding-tubes closed at their outer ends and havingtheir inner ends opening into said casing, controlling devices for theinner ends of said tubes for establishing communication between saidtubes and the casing, a waterspraying device in said casing, ignitingdevices for said tubes and a discharge-passage for-said casing,substantially as described.

5. An apparatus for generating fluid-pressure comprising an inclosingcasing, means for holding a gas-producin g material communicatin g withsaid casin g, a water-pipe having a portion coiled within said casingterminating at its inner end in a spraying device, an igniting devicefor said material and a discharge-passage for said casing, substantiallyas described.

DAVID DUNCAN ESSON. Witnesses:

JOHN E. BoUsFIELD, C. G. REDFERN.

